By Kate McCarthy

Nov 9, 2010 9:56am

Newt Gingrich: Hillary Clinton ‘Terrific’ Defense Secretary

If President Obama decides to move Hillary Clinton to the Pentagon as part of a mid-term shake-up, he can count on some unlikely support — from Newt Gingrich.

“She is knowledgeable, she is tough, I think that she’d be a very aggressive defender of the military in terms of what it needs, its budgets and its concerns,” Gingrich told me.

The Washington rumor mill has been talking about Clinton moving over to the Pentagon for some time — but the secretary of state told my colleague Cynthia McFadden that she has “made it clear that I love the job I have.”

The former speaker of the House said he was impressed with Clinton when they served together on the Transformation Advisory Group for the Joint Forces Command.

“If she would take it she would be terrific,” he told me.

“I’m not sure she would have quite as much fun,” Gingrich added. “I think she probably would have an even better time being secretary of state.”

Watch the interview here:

George Stephanopoulos

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User Comments

As a small business person I can tell you the no-confidence in government explanation for restraint in hiring and investing is completely bogus. The problem is no demand. When there is DEMAND for products or services businesses will go foreward even in with uncertain government policies and do what it takes to make money.

Posted by: Joel Miller | November 9, 2010, 10:51 am 10:51 am

Hillary Clinton is a brilliant woman. Newt Gingrich is an idiot but even he can no longer deny that Hillary is first rate! Unlike sarah who has the IQ of a q-tip.

Posted by: sh | November 9, 2010, 11:00 am 11:00 am

THIS IS AMAZING…NOW THAT THE GRINCH IS PRAISING HER….I AM SEVERELY TURNED OFF BY WHAT SHE HAS DONE IN THE PAST TWO YEARS….WHEN I THOUGHT SHE SHOULD BE PRESIDENT…THE GRINCH HATED HER……I’M BEGINNING TO WONDER IF THE GRINCH DOESN’T HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST ME PERSONALLY…..MISS CLINTON SHOULD HAVE BEEN SENATOR…THAT WAS THE RIGHT THING FOR HER TO DO IF SHE REALLY CARED FOR THIS NATION…..INSTEAD SHE TOOK A “POSITION”…THEN AGAIN ISNT THAT WHAT POLITICIANS DO? I USED TO THINK SHE WAS THE BRAINS…NO WAY…IT WAS…SURPRISINGLY…BILLY BOY AFTER ALL…AS HARD AS IT IS TO BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU JUST LOOK AT THE GUY..LOL. BUT BILLY SOLVED AN AWFUL LOT OF PROBLEMS…A REAL FREAKING GENIUS…TOO BAD ALL THATS GONE NOW…TOO TOO BAD….

Posted by: Pete | November 9, 2010, 11:01 am 11:01 am

Joel, you forget that the no-confidence in government phenomenon also works to suppress demand. It is not bogus, but very real.

Posted by: Noz | November 9, 2010, 11:04 am 11:04 am

“Newt Gingrich is an idiot but even he can no longer deny that Hillary is first rate!” – sh
Newt is a genius. Getting Hillary out of the Secretary of State position where she might do something good is far better for the Repubs then saddling her with a Military in decline and Vietnamistan the Sequel™.
“Unlike sarah who has the IQ of a q-tip.” – sh
That’s one mighty smart Q-tip.
Try to keep in mind sh, smart is as smart does.
A pedigree from Harvard doesn’t really mean much.
Look at Obama, yikes!

Posted by: Noz | November 9, 2010, 11:11 am 11:11 am

Noz – 67% of Americans think Palin is NOT qualified to be President. I feel sorry for you or anyone else who thinks this woman is anything other than a bad joke.

Posted by: sh | November 9, 2010, 11:42 am 11:42 am

I think this is a carefully contemplated plan by the brilliant Newt. If Newt is for Hillary the mainstream will be suspect and vilify her just as it does the smarter-than-Obama Sarah Palin.

Posted by: Ed Taylor | November 9, 2010, 11:45 am 11:45 am

Very bad decision, and even worse than having a woman as Secretary of State, in the Muslim world. Whoever is pondering that one, needs a serious re-think.

Posted by: Rick McDaniel | November 9, 2010, 12:27 pm 12:27 pm

Hillary is an extraordinary human being and the smartest woman in the world, nobody competes with her!
HILLARY 2012! Nobody else!

Posted by: lAURA | November 9, 2010, 12:32 pm 12:32 pm

Ed Taylor – If you think dimwitted Sarah is smarter than Obama, you need some seious help. Obama, like Hillary, is brilliant and well educated (Harvard, Yale). Sarah went to a series of junior colleges and graduated like 6 years later with a degree in journalism! LOL. Speaking of education, when is teengae baby mama Bristol going to get her GED?
Palins = Trash!

Posted by: sh | November 9, 2010, 12:55 pm 12:55 pm

Gingrich thinks Hillary would have signed on to attack Iraq, apparently…

Posted by: Mike W | November 9, 2010, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm

Gingrich or Limbaugh — take your pick — both are full of hot air. Just ask them a question, any question. They have an answer.

Posted by: alxzba | November 9, 2010, 3:46 pm 3:46 pm

Hillary Clinton for president! Why not?

Posted by: Carole | November 11, 2010, 11:16 am 11:16 am

Has everyone forgotten Hillary’s stance against democracy and for socialism in Honduras, even to her kicking Honduran emissaries out of the U.S? Get a grip! With her fingers constantly testing the poll winds, she simply is not to be trusted. Because Newt’s ideas are sometimes off the wall, he needs not to run for president.

Posted by: RB Canon | November 17, 2010, 11:08 pm 11:08 pm

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